Ego, a three-letter word, as tiny it may look but has a great impact on our lives. We all have fallen into the trap of ego at least once in our lives which made us regret the decision we took while saving our ego and letting go of the good things that we cared about. Yes, I do regret all those actions I took while considering my ego supreme to everything else, and yet after making so many mistakes I still tend to commit the same when I find myself in a similar situation.
So, let me admit today that satisfying our ego can give us pleasure for sure but not forever, that pleasure lasts just for a while and then we get surrounded by guilt and regret. We are a slave to our own ego and we choose to be exploited by it every single time.
Why do we keep on doing the same mistake deliberately? Maybe it’s because we often misunderstand it for Self-respect. Our mind gets confused between ego and self-respect so much so that it decides in favor of ego, every single time. Ego is an emotion, an emotion so strong that we can’t resist overcoming it. Its powerful, irresistible, uncanny, destructive, and wrong. It leads us to a path that we were never supposed to be and while we move forward on it we can look back and see that there’s no way left to go back. It’s a way towards darkness and the only light which can shine as bright as a sun or as dim as a candle is “Letting Go“. Yes, letting go is the best answer possible to put yourself above your ego.
We all have heard stories of “rags to riches” about so many businessmen, entrepreneurs, UPSC aspirants, sportspersons, YouTubers, etc. But let’s talk about “Fall from Grace” today, it’s a story about a man we all know and respect for his achievements but not anymore. His name is Sushil Kumar, an Indian wrestler who carried the Indian flag at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and won a Silver medal and before that, he won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In July 2009, he received the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award – India’s highest honor for sportspersons. He has achieved more than that on different occasions and was idolized by many Indian wrestlers who wanted to bring glory for their nation just the way Sushil did.
But today he is considered as one of the main conspirators in the murder of junior wrestler Sagar Dhankar and is currently awaiting sentencing in Tihar Jail. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or the death sentence on counts of kidnapping, murder, and criminal conspiracy. All of this happened to satisfy his mighty ego which got hurt because of late Sagar Dhankar, and to take revenge, Sushil took this step and satisfied his ego by ending a life and landing in jail.
This is just one of many stories of how ego is destroying lives and leaving people with guilt and regret for a lifetime. But how do we differentiate between ego and self-respect? Well, it’s an instinctive decision that you will have to make during such situations but all I can say is self-respect can’t be restored by hurting or destroying anyone and on the other hand ego will ask you to win at any cost.
So next time when your ego wins, watch out for what you have lost in the process.
Feature image is for representational purposes only.